Electrical heating units and the like



Dec. 26, 1961 J. D. COLE 3,015,016

ELECTRICAL HEATING UNITS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 13. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet Dec. 26, 1961 J. D. COLE ELECTRICAL HEATING UNITS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 13, 1959 United States Patent Ofice 3,0l5,0l6 Patented Dec. 26, 1961 3,015,016 ELECTRICAL HEATING UNITS AND THE LIKE James D. Cole, 125 Praire Ave., Pari; Ridge, Ill. Filed Aug. 13, 1959, Ser. No. &33,408 Clains. (Ci. 219-46) The present invention relates to improvements in electrical heating units, and more particularly to a heating unit adapted to be placed on a floor surface or the like to provide a radiant floor heating panel.

One object of the invention is to provide a heating element which can be attached to rugs and floor coverings such as rug pads and the like of various sizes and shapes and thus provide a heating unit of substantially the same dimensions as the floor covering under which the heating unit is installed.

Another object is to provide a radiant heating floor panel unit which can be mounted on a floor surface beneath a rug or other floor covering which will produce sufficient heat to heat the area of a single room in a dwelling.

Another object is to provide a radiant heating floor panel which can be mounted on a floor surface beneath a rug or other fioor covering which will provide a radiant heating auxiliary beat source to Supplement a conventional convection heating system.

Another object is to provide a heating unit which can be attached to various floor coverings of diferent sizes and dimensions and which can be adjusted to extend the entire length of such cover'ngs, and is capable of being installed without requiring skilled workrnen for installation purposes.

Another object is to provide a radant heating floor panel unit which can be readily folded and packaged for shipping and storing, and which can be readily assernbled for use as a floor panel unit of the radiant heat type. r

Another object isto provide a radiant heat floor panel unit which is adapted to be installed in such a manner that the input leads are Conveniently located near an outlet plug of the dwelling connected to a suitable source of d-omestic electrical energy of 115 volts.

Another object is to provide a completely assembled grid unit that does not require site assembly, and which has most of the advantages of the above-mentioned type and is composed of substantially the same structure but is a complete package unit that can be folded for shipping and packing purposes, and is adapted to be sandwiched between a rug pad and rug or between a floor and a rug.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accornpanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of one embodiment of the nvention showing the manner in which the radiant heating floor pad is arranged with the heating units Secured thereto to hold the heating wires or resistance elements extended along substantially parallel pathways.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective' View similar to FIGURE 1, but showing the anchorng strip enlarged to illustrate the manner in which the electric heating cables are connected thereto to hold the same spaced and provide a grid in which the heating cables are arranged substantially parallel one to the other. FIGURE 3 is a top elevational View of a modified form of the invention showing a radiant beat floor unit in which the heating cable is installedin a plastc resin envelope, and

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows to illustrate the manner in which the heating elements are enclosed between upper and lower sheets of plastic resin material and Secured together at spaced apart points by being sewn, heat sealed, or otherwise fastened together.

In the drawings, attention is first directed to FIGURES 1 and 2 wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, and more in detail there is shown an electr'c heating grid structure generally designated 5 which is Secured to a floor pad generally designated 6, and is covered by a rug or the like generally designated 7.

The heating grid unit 5 includes a pair of substantially identical spacer strips 8 and 9 which are adapted to be attached to the ends of the floor pad 6 by staples or the like which are passed through openings 10 arranged in spaced apart relation and in longtudinal algnment as illustrated in FIGURE 1. suitable staples 11 in the form of fleXible wire clips are provided and havesharpened prongs 12 adapted to readily pierce the floor covering after being passed through the openings 10 in the spacing strips 8.

The spacing strips 8 are formed of insulating material and may be made of relatively stifl fiber board having high insulating characteristics, or the strips may be made of a synthetic resin plastic material having high elect'ical insulating qualities such as resins of the phenolic condensation type. Since the strips 8 and 9 are substantially identical in structure, a description of one will suflice for both, and as shown in FIGURE 2 the strip 8 is provided with a pair of transversely spaced openings 17 and 18 which are adapted to accornmodate the terminal cable 13. Each strip is provided with apertures 14 arranged in spaced apart relation throughout the length of the strip, and as shown in FIGURE 2 the apertures 14 are equidistantly spaced and alternate pai's of apertures are provided With transverse slots 15 connected by longitudinal slits 16 forming a wng structure or struckup area 18' which may be bent upwardly along a line extending longitudinally of the strips 8 and 9, and on the same center line thereof.

A series of additional apertures 20 re formed in the strips 8 and 9 and are arranged in spaced apart relation extending longitudinally of the strips, and each of said apertures is provided with a transversely extendng slit 21 extending to one of the longitudinal edges of the rip and provide a restricted entrance opening to the apertures 20 to facilitate inserton and removal of the heating cable.

The heating cable is generally designated 25 and is forrned of a resistance wire of the solid or stranded type of approximately /3 inch in diameter and is covered with a plastic composition of the synthetic thermo-setting type. The cables 25 are of a commercial type which are designed to be heated to approximately degrees, and hence thermo-plastic insulating covering has been found very satisfactory in practice.

After the strips 8 and 9 have been stapled to the rug pad 6 adjacent the ends thereof as shown in FIGURE 1, the cable 25 from the lead 13 is inserted through the openines 17 and 18 with one of the cables 25 being passed through an additional opening 30 in the strip 8 and the other cable of the lead-in 13 being passed through the opening 20 by inserting the same through the slit 21 extending inwardly from one of the longitudinal edges of the strip. The cable 25 is then extended to the strip 9 and is passed over one of the flaps 18' therein and is then returned to the strip 8 and is passed under its flap 18' or struck-up portion by inserting it so that it is looped through the apertures 14 as shown in FIGURE 2. The up-struck portions 18' of the strips 8 and 9 may be stagaered or if desired, one of the strips may be ofi'set laterally in a direction longitudinally of the strip and with respect to the pad so that the cable 25 will pass under one flap at one end and emerge so that its end will register with the adjacent end of another struck-up portion 18'. After the cable has thus been threaded back and forth with its end loop portions received under the struck-up portions 18', the return end of the cable 25" is then brought to the terminal end by being woven back and forth through the openings 20 along one edge of the strip S. The return cable then passes through the openings 18 and 17 and to the sheathed conductor cable 13. An outlet plug Connector is attached to the conductor cable and may be plug ed into a domestic outlet plug of the female type with its terminals connected to a suitable source of electrical energy usually in the neighborhood of 115 Volts.

Thiis, it will be seen, that I have provided an electric heating element which is capable of being self-installed on a rug pad with the strips 8 and 9 fastened to the ends of the pad and capable of being adjusted to rug pads of different dimensions and various lengths for supporting the heating cable In addition, the terminal conductor 13 may be arranged at either corner of the pad so that the plug 35 can be Conveniently connected to an outlet fixture. For instance, the cable conductor 13 may be attached to either end of the strips 8 and 9 so that the leadin conductor cable may emanate from either corner of the rug.

in the modified form of the invention shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4 a pair of rug pad and rug units 40 and 41 are shown with the heating unit generally designated 42 sandwiched therebetween. In this form of the invention the heating unit 42 is formed of an envelope having lower and upper walls 44 and 45 formed of a suitable non-electrical conducting flexible material or a plastic composition such as a synthetic resin which will withstand temperatures in the neighborhood of 125 to 150 degrees The heating cable 25' is of the type shown and described in FIGURES 1 and 2, and said cable is arranged between the spaced sheets of plastic material 44 and 45 as shown in FIGURE 3 to form a grid structure with oarallel spaced straight cable portions 25'. The ends of the cable 25' are connected to the sheets 44 and 45 by a strain connecter 46, and the cable conductor 47 is of the sheathed type for housing both cable ends which are connected to a male coupling element 48 of a two-part coupling flxture. The lower and upper sheets of material 44- and 45 are adapted to be connected together along longitudinal spaced apart pathways as at 4@ by heat sealing in a well known manner, sewing or stapling or by any other suitable fastener means in such a manner as to form a series of individual chambers 5 3 for accommodating the straight portions of the heating cable 25'.

in the form of the invention shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 the heating unit 42 is sandwiched between the rug pad 4@ and rug 43 with its sheathed cable conductor 47 located at a corner of the assembly nearest a domestic outlet flxture for reception of the male plug Connector 43.

it is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred embodiments thereof, and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined clairns.

What I claim is:

l. In a radiant heating element adapted. to be mounted on a floor pad below a floor covering, comprising a pair of flexible elongated flat parallel strips arranged adjacent the ends of said covering, said strips being provided with longitudinally spaced struck-up portions forming hook members, an electrie heating element formed of a flexible cable with its ends looped over said hook members in said strips to form longitudinal parallel spaced heating portions, said strips being provided with a series of pairs of openings arranged between adiacent hook members, fastener elements extending through certain of said openings to attach said strips to the ends of said floor pad, and

4 other openings in one of said flexible strips forming a cable anchor for the terminal ends of said cable.

2` in a radiant heating floor panel unit, a floor pad, a pair of relatively thin elongated flexible insulating strips secured to the ends of said pad and extending substantially the width thereof, said strips being provided with centrally arranged longitudinally extending and equidistantly spaced struck-up portions forming hook members, and a heating element including a flexible sheathed cable extending above said floor pad and looped under the opposed hook members of said strips and arranged there-between, said strips being provided with a series of pairs of openings arranged between adjacent hook members and oflset from the longitudinal center thereof, and fastener elements for securing said strips to the ends of said floor pad extending through said openings.

3. In a radiant heating floor panel, a floor pad, a pair of flexible relatively thin elongated insulating strips secured to the ends of said floor pad and extending the width thereof having a series of equidistantly spaced struck-up portions forming hook members along the longitudinal center of said strips, a heating cable having an insulating covering extending in a Zig-Zag fashion between said strips with the return loop portions received on said hool: members, said cable orrning spaced parallel straight portions extending above said floor pad and supported solely by said strips, said strips being provided with pairs of openings between adjacent hook members and ofl`set from the center of said strip, fastener elements adapted to be inserted in certain of said pairs of openings to secure said strips to the ends of the floor pad, one of said strips having pairs of openings adjacent the end thereof adapted to provide cable anchoring means for the terminals of said cable.

4. in a radiant hee. floor panel unit, a floor pad member, a pair of flexible relatively thin elongated strips formed of electrical insulating material Secured to the ends of said floor pad member and extending substantially the width thereof, said strips being provided with struckup portions along the longitudinal center line thereof to form a series of hook portions, a flexible sheathed heating cable arranged in a Zig-Zag fashion on said floor pad member with the paraliel portions extending the full length of said floor pad member and the looped end portions received in said hook members, said insulating strips being provided with a series of longitudinally spaced pairs of openings arranged between adjacent hook members and oftset from the longitudinal center of said strips, fastener elements adapted to extend through certain of said openings to anchor said strips to said floor pad member, other pairs of openings adjacent the end of one of said strips forming cable anchors for the terminal ends of said cable, and said strips being provided with a series of openings arranged in spaced apart pairs on the other side of said longitudinal center line through which the longer terminal ends of said heating cable may be woven to anchor the same in place.

S In a radiant heating floor panel unit, a floor pad member, a pair of flexible elongzted relatively narrow and thin strips formed of eiectrical insulating material secured to the ends of said floor pad member and extending substantially the width thereof, said strips being provided with a series of equidistantly spaced struck-up portions in alignment with the longitudinal center of said strips to form hook members, a sheathed electrical heating cable supported between said strips and wound back and forth on said floor pati with the looped end portions received under said struck-up portions, said strips being provided with longitudinally aiigned pairs of openings arranged between said struck-up portions and oflset to one side of the longitudinal center line of said strips, fastener elements extending through certain of said pairs of openings to anchor said strips to the ends of said floor pad member, and each of said strips being provided with other pairs of openngs on the opposite side of the center line from the first mentioned pairs of openngs through which the longer cable terminal end of the heating cable is threaded toward the opposte end of one strip where it is received and threaded through one of each of said pars of openings to form a cable anchor for the terminal ends of said cable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Crse Apr. 10, 1951 Pontiere Nov. 25, 1952 Olson et al Aug. 3, 1954 Lchtensten Nov. 20, 1956 Neely Dec. 23, 1958 Sullvan et al May 31, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS Canada June 13, 1950 Italy Nov. 28, 1952 Great Britain Dec. 23, 1953 France Sept. 2, 1953 

